Category Archives: 25th Reunion

Despite the rain forcing a relocation of our 20th Reunion Saturday night party from the Junior Balcony indoors to McLelland Hall below, the Class of 1993 had an awesome time at our reunion in May, 2013. After the party ended in the Quad, we all moved downtown to the lobby of the Marriott for our after party in the hotel bar until it closed.

Given the excitement and enthusiasm for our 20th reunion, we knew as the party winded down that our 25th Reunion would be one that no one should miss, and planning for May 2018 started immediately after our 20th ended.

What better way to make sure our class knew the dates of our 25th reunion in 2018 than to count down the weeks until we would reunite on campus again? With that thought, #93tothe25th was born – blog posts every week leading up to our reunion starting with July 29 – 30, 2016, which marked 93 weeks to go until big weekend. Classmates wrote posts, sent us old photos, shared memories of classes, clubs and experiences, and dug through boxes to find course schedules, performing arts and athletic programs, calendars, and old t-shirts from our time at Penn.

And with that, we created 93 posts to mark the 93 weeks leading to the Class of 1993’s 25th Reunion. Thank you to the 189 classmates that contributed to these posts and shared their memories of Penn.

Here is a list of all 93 posts that led up to one epic 25th reunion for Penn’s Class of 1993, May 11 – 14, 2018.

The Penn Class of 1993 processes into Franklin Field for commencement, May 1993

Twenty-five years ago the Penn Class of 1993 celebrated their last week on campus as Penn students with a wonderful slate of activities for Senior Week. Then we participated in our first Alumni Day by marching down Locust Walk in the alumni parade of classes. After individual school graduation ceremonies during the weekend, the Baccalaureate service, and dinners with family and friends that were in Philadelphia for the celebration, we gathered in Super Block, processed through campus and down Locust Walk, and entered Franklin Field for the University’s 237th Commencement ceremony.

The Senior Class Board gathers in Super Block. They will lead the class down Locust Walk and into Franklin Field

Classmates shared many photos with us, and this is only a selection from the day. It was the last Commencement ceremony for Penn President Sheldon Hackney as he left Penn to serve as the head of the National Endowment for the Humanities. He and wife Lucy were awarded honorary degrees. Our Commencement speaker was the new First Lady of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The Graduation Goodbyes supplement from The Daily Pennsylvanian, photo courtesy of Alex Dunne

We were blessed with beautiful weather, a celebratory atmosphere and memories to last a lifetime.

As many of us are returning to campus this weekend to celebrate our 25th Reunion, we are looking back fondly at photos that trigger happy memories of our time at Penn and the lifetime friends we made at this very special University.

Photos courtesy of Lincoln Singleton and John Hogue

Classmate Brian Newberry stated beautifully why this time in our lives was so special and why we are returning to campus this weekend:

Reading the postings in this forum (our Penn Class of 1993 Facebook group) over the past several months and especially over the past few weeks as more and more people began sharing memories got me thinking about why a reunion like this has such appeal to so many. We had about 2,200 graduates in our class and close to a 1,000 or so are in this forum alone. I remember once years ago, it may even have been just after graduation, flipping through the yearbook and doing a very rough count of how many people in our class I actually knew. It was around 300 – and I used a very generous definition of “knew” – so it isn’t because most of know most of us.

Even the postings in here show how different so many of us were and are, with our lives taking all kinds of various paths since 1993 never mind the fact that an urban school with 9,000 undergraduates has so many silos it was easy to get lost in them as students and never cross paths with most of your fellow classmates in the first place.

So what is it? Why the appeal to suddenly get together for a few days with some old friends plus a cast of strangers? That age, late teens to early 20s, regardless of background, is the crucible of what makes someone into who they are for the rest of their lives. Each and every person you experience that with becomes, in their own way, special to you, even if you never see them again. Likewise, anyone who shared that same environment with you, even if you didn’t know them, shares a kinship forever and that bond has some type of magical appeal.

Relationships and experiences. That is what matters most in life, something I hope we all realize by this age. … It is inevitable in the human experience I suspect regardless of what you spent your time doing at that age. All of us, even if we have never met each other, share our own common experience from that same crucial era and what are memories except a chance to relive an experience, preferably a pleasant one and what is a reunion but a chance to make those experiences come back to life for a few days?

So I want to thank everyone who has contributed here and I genuinely hope to meet all of you at some point next weekend.

Enjoy this stroll down memory lane.

Maceo Grant shared this photo of him and his mom at the College graduation ceremony.

College graduate Maceo Grant and his mother Doris Grant

Classmates gathering in Super Block

Looking back to Super Block as we walk over the 38th Street Bridge

The class processes over the 38th Street Bridge

After gathering in Super Block, we began to walk through campus on our way to Franklin Field. We passed by the reviewing stand with Penn President Sheldon Hackney, the honorary degree recipients and the Commencement speaker, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and Penn President Sheldon Hackney on College Green watching the procession. Photo by Wendy Spander

As many photos as we have shared in our #93tothe25th countdown posts, many more have been shared in our Class Facebook group. And everyone is also being reflective.

Eliza Schleifstein wrote:

When I talk about my four years at Penn, I still say it is the best four years of my life, despite 13 years at a private school, 20 years of marriage and two children. Given that my kids now view some of my Penn friends as closer to them than their own family and call their kids their cousins, it just makes sense. No matter where you go, Penn alumni seem to all say the same thing, and you do not hear it from other schools.

Jennifer Jarett shared:

I have to admit, a little over five years ago, I was on the fence about attending our 20th reunion. Susan Baranovsky West, charmer that she is, convinced me to go. I ended up having a wonderful time catching up with old friends and making a new friend in Rob Williams! It was such a delightful weekend that when I came back, I immediately tried to find out how to volunteer for the 25th reunion. So I have been looking forward to this for a pretty long time! And now, over the past few weeks, with everyone sharing all of their photos and memories (thank you to all the class hoarders who still have so many tickets and fliers and t-shirts!!!), I am overflowing with excitement!! I can’t wait to see you all!

Caren Lissner added:

May we all make new friends. I keep seeing so many photos that remind me just how many people I *didn’t* know in my class…but there were 5,000 undergrads in our school, so it’s logical we never crossed paths with some.

And Amanda Rykoff chimed in:

The best part about the Penn community is that we share that bond no matter what class and even if we didn’t know each other while we were at Penn. Some of my best friends are Penn alumni I didn’t know when I was there or who graduated well after me but we had that bond. All roads lead to Penn. Looking forward to seeing everyone next weekend!

And now back to reminiscing about our Senior Week back in 1993.

Our Senior Class board planned a week of events for us.

Penn 1993 Senior Class Board

The schedule!

Senior Week 1993 schedule

Who remembers the South Street Strut?

The map for the South Street Strut, photo courtesy of Lisa Bardfeld Shapiro

Back in February, we asked classmates that are “Penn couples” to share their stories of how they met, their Penn connection and photos. We featured four installments of Penn 1993 Love Connections, and we still have stories to share!

I met Monish Kundra at a party for a mutual friend in early 2006, over a decade after we had both graduated from Penn in different classes. The party was one of those occasions where I knew everyone who was going to be there and recall asking myself as I finished getting ready, “What’s the point?!” I saw Monish across the room, seemingly single, and decided to use that moment to congratulate the guest of honor who was chatting with Monish at the time. Our friend introduced us and suggested I probably knew Monish’s brother Raj Kundra (W’93), which was true as I knew Raj as well as all his college roommates. After establishing several fun connections, Monish and I closed down a restaurant on our first date a few weeks later, and our lives went into overdrive after that…moving in together, buying our first house, planning our destination wedding on Fisher Island in Miami, getting engaged, and tying the knot in March 2008…roughly in that order! We welcomed our son Sachin six days before our one-year anniversary and our daughter Karina came along in 2011. We will celebrate our 10-year anniversary this year along with countless adventures, lots of laughs, cherished moments, and rewarding lives together in Washington, DC.

Minal Damani Kundra, W’93, and Monish Kundra, W’95, ENG ’95

Minal Damani Kundra, W’93, and Monish Kundra, W’95, ENG ’95 with their children

Maria and I met on an otherwise empty Metro car during the early-morning commute into Washington D.C. She was applying to graduate school, and I hinted that she might want to consider Penn. It took some convincing, but eventually I won her over to the Red and Blue. Two years later, we married in Philadelphia, and I joined her back at Penn, for my own graduate work. Our daughter, Natalie, was born at University Hospital shortly before we graduated; given our frequent moves, she always thought of Philadelphia as home. Now, eighteen years later, our little girl is going back to Penn as a freshman, in the fall. We hope to give her younger brothers (Anton – 15, Alex – 6, and Max – 3) the hint too. We live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Dominic Napolitano, EEng ’93, WG’00, and Maria Napolitano, GSAS ’00, with their daughter Natalie who is going to enter Penn as a freshman this fall

Dominic Napolitano, EEng ’93, WG’00, and Maria Napolitano, GSAS ’00, with their children

Brian Eck, Eng’93, and Katy McCabe, C’94

We are Brian Eck, ENG ’93, and Katy McCabe, CAS ’94. We met in a club called the Progressive Student Alliance when I was a junior and Katy was a sophomore. We’re looking forward to seeing old friends in May!

Sukanya Srinivasan, Eng’93, and Henry Willis, C’93, met as freshmen in Hill House in the fall of 1989, when he asked her if she was one of the Graduate Fellows for the floor! Many conversations and pieces of leftover cake from LeBus catering later, they began working together on environmental issues with the Penn Environment Group with the highlights being organizing Earth Day celebrations and finally getting the recycling bins put in along Locust Walk. Yeah! Things got cemented by senior year when they took a summer camping trip across the country, hitting 10 national parks in 28 days and realizing they could survive each other’s cooking and enjoy a lot together! The next few years were long distance but then they both ended up (after much strategizing) in Pittsburgh, PA by the fall of 1998, when Sukanya started family medicine residency at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Henry started a PhD at Carnegie Mellon shortly thereafter. They finally got married in 1999 with many PENN friends in attendance and have been here in ‘da Burgh since with their two kids, Neel and Anisha. Still cooking together after all these years!

Sukanya Srinivasan, Eng’93, and Henry Willis, C’93

Jean-Pierre Mobasser, C’93, and Erica Mobasser, C’93

We cannot recall for sure if we met for the first time at a dreadful off campus performance of Waiting for Godot, or at a Beta Theta Pi party, but it was at the end of sophomore year, and probably with a little help from my roommates and his fraternity brothers.

Our first official date was at the White Dog Cafe followed by drinks at the Palladium. Our second date was at Magnolia Cafe in downtown Philadelphia followed by Borgia cafe on South Street. Sadly most of these establishments no longer exist!!

We were married in 1997. We have lived in Augusta Ga, Memphis Tn, and now Indianapolis for the past 14 years. We have three children ages 19, 17, and 15.

As we move closer to our 25th Reunion, classmates are digging through old photos and sharing them in our class Facebook group (if you’re Penn’93 and you have not joined yet, you are missing out on the fun!)

There isn’t a theme to this post, other than fond memories of our time at Penn. Below are photos from parties, from gatherings, from Sorority formals, photos that show our class together with smiles on our faces. Some photos in the back show us what campus used to look like, or of buildings or establishments that no longer exist (we’re still looking for photos of the old bookstore, the Palladium, and Troy’s).

Billybob’s!! Photo courtesy of Leila Graham-Willis

Penn Celebrates it’s 250th Birthday with a sign on the Penn Tower – now gone.

Thank you to all of our classmates that shared their photos and memories with us. We are looking forward to making more memories on campus at our 25th Reunion. We hope you will Meet us at the Button May 11 – 14, 2018!

On a SEPTA bus

Random photos of classmates doing random things.

Submitted for our power point slide show for either or 10th or 15th reunion – Keg!

Couches outside, photo courtesy of Derek Braslow

Budweiser! photo courtesy of Allison Brody

Sorority photos from Allison Feder Fliegler

Sigma Delta Tau Bid Day 1992 photo courtesy of Allison Feder Fliegler

Sigma Delta Tau formal 1989 photo courtesy of Allison Feder Fliegler

Here’s a picture of friends from my freshman hall and friends not from our hall, gathering at Karen’s parent’s house outside of Philly for an end of the year barbecue.

Debbie Frank shared a photo of a photo collage with photos of many classmates and many pictures from Hey Day.

Photo collage from Debbie Frank

Sonia Biswas shared these photos and this story: Joseph Ayers and I have been friends since the first weekend of Freshman year when we lived on the fifth floor of English House. In 2010, we were both deployed to Afghanistan, and Joe transited my base. We were able to spend a few minutes catching up at the crack of dawn before Joe headed out to his base. From hanging out at Penn to working hard and reminiscing in war zones #EH54ever!

Debbie Jaffe shared this photo from Spring Fling – interesting to note the footwear everyone is wearing. The second photo provides lots of background dorm decor, and the third is hanging on College Green.

Donate to The Penn Fund in honor of our reunion! We want to break the 25th reunion participation giving record and every gift matters!

Do you have old photos or mementos from our time at Penn? Photos of Spring Fling? Football at Franklin Field? Classes at DRL? We are taking a trip down memory lane and would love for you to share your memories with our class in a future post. Please email us upenn1993@gmail.com!

Book your hotel room or AirBnB now! See our class website for details.

Spring Fling weekend at Penn was a two-day festival held in April in the Quad. During the day there were food vendors, student performing arts groups and bands would sing or dance on a stage in the Lower Quad, and often there were games and other activities in the Upper Quad. At night there were concerts with popular bands or comedians performing in Irvine or Hill Field our senior year.

We remember fondly the fun we had at Fling each year, even though it seemed like it was often cold and wet. Amazingly, we have photos from Fling – and t-shirts – that our classmates shared with us. Take this trip down memory lane of Spring Fling 1990 – 1993.

Spring Fling our Freshman year was called, “Fling in Wonderland.”

Spring Fling 1990 t-shirt back – photo courtesy of Howard Levene

Spring Flingt 1990 t-shirt front, photo courtesy of Howard Levene

Spring Fling 1990 in Lower Quad, photo courtesy of Kiera Reilly

Spring Fling’s theme in 1990 was, “the Wild Fling.”

Fling 1991 t-shirt, photo courtesy of Howard Levene

Fling 1991 t-shirt front, photo courtesy of Howard Levene

Jenn Spadano and Chrissy Hofbeck in the Lower Quad

Spring Fling in the Lower Quad senior year

Photo courtesy of Derek Braslow. We think this is from a Fling – it looks like a Fling photo!

This year, for the first time since it began in the 70’s, Penn’s Spring Fling was moved to Penn Park and was only on one day. We wonder how the students of today will remember Fling. Do you remember Fling when you were a student?

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion Countdown

The weekend of April 13 – 14, marked 4 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 14, 2018)! Meet us at the Button!

Donate to The Penn Fund in honor of our reunion! We want to break the 25th reunion participation giving record and every gift matters!

Do you have old photos or mementos from our time at Penn? Photos of Spring Fling? Football at Franklin Field? Classes at DRL? We are taking a trip down memory lane and would love for you to share your memories with our class in a future post. Please email us upenn1993@gmail.com!

Book your hotel room or AirBnB now! See our class website for details.

In January, we asked classmates a few questions about their memories of Penn and our upcoming reunion. As luck would have it, this short quiz only took classmates 93 seconds to complete! The results have been tabulated, and we are excited to share them here.

Have you visited Penn since we graduated in 1993?

Yes, 77.53% of respondents had visited campus and within the last five years.

Yes, 20.22% had visited campus but more than five years ago.

Only 2.25% had not visited campus since we graduated.

Have you attended any of our Class of ’93 Penn Reunions?

21.35% said they had never attended a reunion.

28.09% said they attended at least one reunion.

35.96% had attended more than one reunion but not all reunions.

And a dedicated 14.61% have attended all of our Penn reunions.

Are you planning to attend our 25th Reunion on campus May 11 – 14, 2018?

4.49% had no interest (and that makes us sad).

7.87% are interested but unable to attend (which bums us).

19.10% were on the fence? On the fence? How about on the button? Meet us there!

If you are planning to attend the reunion, have you reserved a hotel room?

15.66% live locally so do not need a room.

4.82% are staying with friends.

21.69% had yet to reserve a room (remember this survey was done in January).

57.83% had reserved a room already (in January!!).

Who are you most excited to see at our reunion in May?

47.36% were excited to see their roommates

32.89% were excited to see fraternity or sorority sisters

32.89% were most excited to see friends from student groups

15.79% looked forward to seeing friends from their major

13.16% hoped to see performing arts friends.

5.26% were excited to see sports teammates

3.95% were excited to see old flames

What is your favorite building on campus?

This was a free-form response, so we were curious to see what everyone wrote.

Some of the more interesting answers:

“my wife.” ??? um, maybe this refers to the question about who you’re most excited to see?

“Subway” – interesting choice, but going down the stairs to take the trolleys into Center City was a new experience for many of us freshman year.

“Does Smokes count?” Yes, yes it counts, and we think this is one of our favorite spots (though technically not “on campus”).

Smokey Joe’s

Twenty-two percent of classmates listed the Quad as their favorite building.

The Quad at Penn

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The lower Quad in the snow

The most popular building on campus (according to 38.96% the Class of 1993) is the Furness Building . Classmates may recall that it was closed for restoration for a bit while we were students.

Furness Building home to the Fisher Fine Arts Library

Inside the Fisher Fine Library, aka the Furness Building

Here are some of the other buildings mentioned by classmates as their favorites.

Receiving five votes

The Palestra! That’s fitting since our Ivy Stone is on the front side of the building

The Palestra

The Palestra during a basketball game

College Hall – probably the most iconic building on Penn’s campus

College Hall

Receiving three mentions each

Irvine Auditorium

Exterior of Irvine Auditorium at the corner of Spruce and 34th Streets

Steinberg-Dietrich

The Wharton School’s Steinberg-Dietrich Hall

Receiving two mentions

The old Bookstore

We can’t seem to locate a picture of the old Bookstore (that was at Locust Walk and 38th Street). The building was demolished to make way for the Wharton School’s Huntsman Hall building in recent years.

Huntsman Hall occupies the area between Walnut Street and Locust Walk along 38th Street, where the Penn bookstore stood when we were students

Van Pelt

Not our favorite building but two people liked it. We should note that inside has been remodeled and it is worth looking inside when you are back for reunion to see how the space has been transformed. And the Button is in front of Van Pelt, so we’ll all be seeing it in a few weeks.

Van Pelt Library and the Button

Houston Hall

Houston Hall, the nation’s oldest student union building

These buildings received one vote or mention

DuBois College House

W. E. DuBois College House – note the large building in the background – those are private off-campus apartments across Walnut Street

Locust Walk (not a building but we’ll accept this)

Locust Walk

The chapel / Women’s Center

The current location of the Women’s Center was a fraternity when we were students. We think the women’s center was located in the Palladium building at one point? Does anyone remember?

Penn Women’s Center at 36th and Locust Walk

Towne Building

Towne Building

Moore School

Moore Building at the corner of 33rd and Walnut Streets

Tannenbaum Quad

We were confused by this since there’s The Quad, which is a dormitory, and then there’s Tanenbaum Hall which houses the Biddle Law Library for the Law School.

Tanenbaum Hall is part of the Law School

University Museum

The Museum’s Middle Eastern galleries re-opened recently and are worth a visit if you have time while on campus. Note in the photo below Penn Tower behind the Museum. Penn Tower is no longer…you’ll have to visit campus to see what’s there now.

The University Museum

Franklin Field

Franklin Field

There are so many old buildings to re-visit during Alumni Weekend, but there are many new additions to campus too. Most of these favorite buildings remain, but it is worth spending time taking a building tour during the weekend or wandering around on your own to see how Penn’s campus has changed since 1993.

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion Countdown

The weekend of April 6 – 7, marked 5 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 14, 2018)! Meet us at the Button!

Donate to The Penn Fund in honor of our reunion! We want to break the 25th reunion participation giving record and every gift matters!

Do you have old photos or mementos from our time at Penn? Photos of Spring Fling? Football at Franklin Field? Classes at DRL? We are taking a trip down memory lane and would love for you to share your memories with our class in a future post. Please email us upenn1993@gmail.com!

Book your hotel room or AirBnB now! See our class website for details.